You can add former Tennessee Vols football coach Phil Fulmer to the list of people in favor of Texas A&M joining the Southeastern Conference.
Fulmer spoke with Ron Higgins of The Commercial Appeal recently and said that the Aggies’ addition to the SEC would provide a huge boost in recruiting the state of Texas.
The Volunteers routinely recruited prospects from around the nation, but Fulmer was never able to have much success in the Lone Star state.
He says that Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, TCU and Oklahoma have a virtual stranglehold on the state, thus making it difficult for SEC schools to recruit.
The only SEC schools that have had recent success recruiting in Texas are LSU and Arkansas, but Fulmer says that adding Texas A&M would open the door for other SEC teams.
“That state has so many great players and great high schools, and there has been cherry picking by SEC schools in the past,” Fulmer said.
“But having Texas A&M in the SEC would open it up to everybody in the league to recruit Dallas, Houston and east Texas, which is a great area to recruit.”
“It has been hard to recruit Texas because of logistics and distance. Parents want to be able to see their sons play, so if Texas A&M was in the SEC, they’d be able to see their sons play even if they signed with another SEC school.”
Fulmer said Texas A&M is a natural fit for the SEC.
“They have a great tradition and a great fan base,” said Fulmer. “They have a national name.”
